Constant-level lubricator



. JAMES 3'. I'IENNESSY, OF NEW YORKfN, YQ

I V pumping ing , Paras te, a s) a, res-a rinses consrAn'r-tnvnr.nnnnrcaron.

Application medium 21, 1524. Serial no. 721,413Q

i invention relates'to railroad rolling stock and consists lnfannnproved lubricatlng device for car or locomotive ournals.

In such journals, it is customary to dis- ;tribute lubricant over thejournal face by means of-capillary attraction produced by packing thejournal with cotton waste and supplying lubricant to the waste. Thewaste is sometimes saturated with lubricant at intervals and deviceshave been proposed tor lubricant to the waste from a reservoir locatedbelow the same and for supply lubricant from a reservoir above thejournal. Each of these methods are open to i objections,

re-oiling at intervals and the journal and Figure 11 1 re -t e v t Qp s'1 ,1 In the construction shown 111 Figures 1 and r I will avoidlossofsurplus 'slaine time keep the waste saturated'to the ;-bearing aredamaged it this is neglected. Thesecond method involves expensiveworkingp arts' not always reliable. The third =method, so far asI amaware, usually produces anbVer-supply of-lubricant, resulting .i'nwasteof thesame, v

isutilized, calls for manual operation of f thesame at intervals, whichoperation may or, if a supply "valve be neglected. v

L [The object of present invention is to provide a lubricant reservoiradapted to feed r lubricant by gravity to the cotton waste,r but[equipped wi h automatic meansfor maintaining the lubricant at aconstant level which lubricant and at the desired degree. v

[In the accompanylng lustrate' my 1nvent1on Figure, 1 1s a transversesection through i an axle journal and a box apphed thereto and contamingmy lnvention.

Figure 2 1s a vertical transverse section on line 2+2 of Figure 1.

Figure?) is a longitudinal section through adriver box equipped with amodified form ofmy inventlon and illustrating the ournal in part. I guieposition;

2, the'jou'rnalcis indicated at A and thebox at (B. The latter has aportionrpartially enclosing the-journal A and adapted to receive a'"waste containeror pan 1, the hottompt which is perforated, yieldinglysupported on a" spring 3.

partition 2 of the box B by a coil Ihe container-l may be packed withcotton the first requiring repaelring and drawings which il- 4i isafragmentary section similar to but showing the valve operating waste lin the usual manner whichjwillalways be pressed against the journalbymeans of the container support The container preferably has nosides,permitting any'surplus lubricant fed to. the journalto return freely tothe bottom or the container receiv- 5 of the box. constitutesajcellarfor-lubricant A reservoir 6, providediwitha removablelid 6, iscarried by the box at one side of the journal and may consistgin; asheet metal structure having an opening in itslowerjwall aligned wlth acorresponding opening in the .,.upwai'dly facing wall 7 "of the box,@The open ng in box wall 7 isthread'ed to receivcta plug 8 screwedtherein anda nut 9 serewed andll inay provided between nut 9 and thereservoir bottom and between the latter and the top of. the boX .iwall7.

The plug 8 is provided with a screen S and has a passage the wall ofwhich is shaped to form a valveseat 12 [and a-valve 13 is positioned insaid passage and normally" held. against its seat by: a lever. 14pivoted at 15 on legs .8 extending downwardly from the plug 8 The longerarm of the lever lfliis supported-by afloat 16 floating in the voil incellar 5, the normal oil level being indicated bythe dot and dash lineC,The float 116 may be of any bouyant material or may be a hollow vesselofsheet metal or the'lilre;

A bolt 17, inserted through'the lower wall ot' the cellar and secu'ed.inposition' by a nut erves to position these members 18, passesthroughlever 14: and floatlfi and.

Whenthe. ,oil' level falls below. the inwhioh'it affords sufiicientbuoyancy to the float to hold valve 13' against its seatrthe weight ofthe leverlfi- Willraise the-valveand permit oil to fiowirorn thereservoir through I plug 8 into the cellar. The float and lever risingwith the oil level closes the valvethus limiting the amount of oil inthe cellar.

It is'desirable to prevent the opening and closing of the valve byslight=variation in the height of the float. Such valvefloperationisprevented by the pin and slot connection vbetweenthe lever and valveandby use of a spring 19 compressed betwee na projection 1 1 on lever ltand a pin 20. carried by plug leg-s8. 1H A rod 22 is pivoted toprojection 14? and extendsthrough p 1n The upper endot the 'ing portionotthebox'. The lowerportion .onto plug 8 serves lto clamp the reservoirtightly to the b oxwall. suitable gasketsg 10 lever, and means mountedon said leg for yieldingly' holding said lever in position.

' I -6.' In a journal lubricator, a cellar, a lubriv voir abovesaidcellar, a threaded opening in .the wallof said cellar, a plugscrewed into *said opening and adapted to be secured at difierentheights therein and provided with avalve seat and with a leg projectinginto I, v said Cellar, a valve seated therein and extend- "jing intosaid cellar, a lever pivoted on said leg and operatively engaging saidvalve, a float in said cellar operatively engaging said lever, andadjustable means cooperating with 7 said float to hold said lever invalve closing or opening position. V 7 Ina journal lubricator, alubricantcellar, a lubricant reservoir attached to said cellar, alignedopenings in the contacting- ,walls of said Cellar and reservoir, anaper- V 'tured ext'eriorly'threaded element in said cellar projectingthrough the opening in the wall of saidlreser'voir, and a nut insidesaid I reservoir fitting said element and adapted to be screwed thereonto clamp the wall of said reservoir to the Wall of said cellar.

' '8, Ina railroad journal lubricator, a lubripassage-of lubricant fromsaid reservoir to said cellar, a float insaid cellar, a valve operatingelement controlled by said float, and

' means providing for limited movement of V said float before saidelement operates said valve..

- 9. In a journal lubricator, a lubricant res ervoir, a lubricantreceiving cellar connected lubricant from said reservoir to said cellar,:valve operating lever, yielding means adapted to urge said lever tovalve closing a, jo'r'valve opening position, and a float forcontrolling the functioning of said lever and means. i v

I lOJIn a journal lubricator, a cellar, a lubricant distributing member,a lubricant reservoir-above said cellar, a threaded opening ,in the wallof said cellar, a plug screwed into cant distributing member, alubricant reser- 'lar operatively engaging said lever,

.cant reservoir, a lubricant receiving cellar connected therewith, avalve controlling the therewith, a valve controlling the passage of saidopening and provided With a valve seat and with a leg projecting intosaid cellar, a valve seated therein and extending into said cellar, alever pivoted on said leg and opera tively engaging said valve, a floatin said cel spring mounted onsaid lever and leg to yieldingly liold saidlever in valve closing or opening position. v v r j 11. In a'railwayjournal lubricator, a j ournal box, a Waste containing distributingmember therein, a supply reservoir, a device, including a float, forautomatically maintaining in said member a constant level 01": lubricantfrom said reservoir,'and means'for adjusting the height of .said' devicerelative to said reservoir to vary the lubricant level maintained insaid reservoir. 7

anda

12. In a journal lubricator, a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant cellarfor supplying lubricant to the journal to belubricated, a lubricantpassage from said reservoir to said-cellar, a valve in said passage, afloat n said cellar, a connection between said float and valve to openand close the latter as the level oflubricant in said-cellar falls andrises respectively, said connection including a device providing forlost motion of said float has been a predetermined movement of saidfloat. Y

13. In a lubricator of'the class described,

a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant cellar, a passage between saldreservoir and cellar, a valve for said passage, a lever for operatingsaid valve, a pivot for said lever,- an angular shoulder on sald leverad acent to SELICl'PlVOD,

an element pressing against said shoulder a so that its line of thrustextends approximate JAMES JQHENNEssY.

to prevent operation of said valve from open "to closed pos1t1on orvice-versa unt1l there

